White Princess
by alphatig
Summary: Rina was just your typical village beauty. Kind, caring, and gentle, she was just a young woman who worked at the village inn. In truth, however, she was an amnesiac whom a married couple found unconscious beside a river. Curious about her past, she decides to go on a journey to the Fire Nation Capital City in order to find out who she really is. (Takes place after "The Search")
1. Tranquility

A/N: My very first FanFic! Finally got around to writing one, hope you guys enjoy. ^_^ I've also seen a lot of authors put "soundtrack"? to their stories. I'm not gonna over do it so i'll just put one music track in. :P  
Chapter Theme: Feint - Unwanted

And in case you get confused Rina = Azula

* * *

Darkness… Cold… Cannot breathe... Pain… Sorrow… Despair… into nothing… Light getting closer and closer… Forget everything… Death… Life...

A bright ray of light passed through the window and shone on a beautiful maiden's face as she woke up from her slumber. She got up and turned towards the window; taking a look outside to determine what time of day it was. The sun had still not fully risen from the mountains over the horizon meaning it was still early in the morning. She had gotten off the bed but sat back down again at the realization of tears running down her face.

As she was wiping off her tears, her thoughts quickly drifted back to the dream she just had. It was the same dream as always, it was of her standing on top of a cliff facing a river during a dark and cloudy night. Every time she had the dream, it was as if she were there. She could feel all the emotions from sadness to sorrow and then finally despair. What came after the mix of emotions was the scene her jumping off the cliff into the cold and wild waters of the river until finally, total darkness. The dream always ended the same way and she would wake up right afterwards with tears running down her face. After having the same dream so many times before, she was convinced that this was not a dream but a memory.

She did not know who she was and what the details of her past was, all she could remember were fragments, like the scenery of a city in flames and the faded memory of her sitting underneath a cherry blossom tree in a garden, where ducks would swim on a pond nearby. Her most vivid memory that she can remember as far back was of her regaining consciousness, on the river shore, to two worried faces whom she did not recognize at the time.

"A lot has changed since then." she whispered to herself as she began to reminisce through her more 'current' memories.

It has been three years since they found her on that river shore; a married couple took care of her while she was recovering and ended up taking her in as one of their own. They owned an inn at the fishing village of Ko'miya where she ended up in. At first she was quiet and introverted, a young girl who did not remember her past and had no one but herself to take comfort in. But as time passed by she slowly opened up and turned into a gentle and caring young lady. Nowadays she goes by the name Rina and lives her life working at the inn doing all sorts of jobs like cooking, cleaning, gardening, running errands, and attending the customers coming into the establishment, all of which she got pretty good at doing in such a short amount time; It was as if she became a perfect maid of some sort. There was always this drive that she could feel within her, a drive that wanted to perfect everything she does. Thus, she had always suspected that she might have been a perfectionist in the past.

After sometime sitting on her bed and reminiscing about her memories, she had finally snapped back to the present and started getting ready for the busy day ahead. She went to the bathroom to freshen up and upon looking at her reflection on the mirror; she could not help but look at her eyes and be curious.

The couple who took her in said that her eyes used to be gold in color but then turned into silver two days later. No one knew exactly why her eyes changed colors, weeks later a rumor in the village said that a river spirit took her eye color in exchange for saving her life.

" _Wait, not again..._ " she thought in her mind upon realizing that she was about to space out again; she had been spacing out a lot recently since she started having that dream.

She got changed out of her sleepwear into her work attire -nothing too fancy, just a simple white Yukata and a clean apron- and proceeded to go downstairs where she ran into Aiko, the proprietress of the establishment and her mother figure for the past few years.

"Ah! Good morning Rina, you're up early today." Aiko greeted and then gave her a gentle smile.

Aiko is a middle aged woman with a kind, caring, and gentle disposition. She had been the one taking care of Rina most of the time while she was recovering. Because there was no doctor in the village, she was the one the villagers would ask for help if anyone got sick due to her ample knowledge in herbal medicine. Rina once questioned Aiko why she did not run a clinic for a living instead of an inn and her reason was that she disliked to profit from other people's misfortune.

Her personality rubbed off on Rina over the years. Rina admired her and in fact everyone in the village did as well. She always looked at things positively and when faced with a problem she would handle it calmly and efficiently. She barely gets angry and at the rare occasions that she did it would be short and quick. Rina liked that about Aiko and unknowingly for her, as they got closer over time, she eventually took on Aiko's personality as her own.

"Good morning Aiko. I woke up and just could not go back to sleep anymore so I decided to come down and help in getting some work done instead." Rina replied, though guilty at the fact that she just lied to Aiko. She had always been good at lying for some unknown reason, she never used it for personal gain however; she just did not want to trouble anyone with her problems.

"I see, well it's still early so there is not much to do. Would you like to sweep outside at the front entrance for now so I can prepare breakfast?" Aiko suggested.

"Alright, I'm glad to help out in any way I can." Rina replied.

"Oh and before I forget, we also might have a guest coming in from the capital city today; An old friend of mine. She'll be staying with us for a week or two. I would love to introduce you to her later." informed Aiko.

"Certainly, I would love to meet her." Rina agreed followed by a smile. She then took a bow and left.

"Such a sweet girl, I'll surely miss her if she ever decides to go." Aiko whispered to herself as soon as Rina was out of sight.

* * *

With a broom in hand, Rina stretched out her arms and took in the fresh morning air. As she was sweeping in front of the inn, she could not help but notice the calming sound of rustling leaves as the wind breezed by, the birds tweeting happily as they flew up ahead, and the bustling sound of the village coming alive as it gets ready for the busy day ahead. It gave her a sense of tranquility knowing that everything was as it should be; no warring nations, just peace. She liked this way of living and whatever it was in her past that drove her to jump off that cliff was now all but forgotten for the time being. She was worried about regaining her memories as it might ruin the peaceful life she was living now. But there was always this persistent thought that nagged at the back of her mind and it was at this very moment that she was able to realize why she had been fixated on her memories for the past few months. A part of her was telling her that she was lying to herself and that part of her wanted to know her past. Upon realizing this she drifted again in her thoughts, not noticing the brooding expression she was showing.

"Good Morn… Ah! The pretty young lady is slacking off. Hehe!" exclaimed a rough male voice which startled Rina as she was lost in thought and did not notice a man grinning and walking towards her.

The man's name is Jirou, Aiko's husband and the acting cook of the inn. He is a bold man, rugged looking with a big muscular figure and a firebender but unlike his appearance would suggest, he had a kind and gentle heart just like that of Aiko. Unlike Aiko however, Jirou is lively and is very perceptive that it seems like he can see through people, something Rina found troublesome at times. On the other hand, Jirou acted like a father figure for Rina, giving her advice on what to do for most of the troubles that she otherwise did not know how to handle on her own. In fact, if it was not for Jirou she would still have been that same introverted girl whom they found on that shore.

"Is something wrong Rina? You had this uneasy frown on your face and it looked like you were lost thinking about something." Jirou asked inquisitively.

"Oh uhm... It's nothing really." Rina caught off guard by the question and was now fumbling in her thoughts trying to make up an excuse. "I… I was just thinking about…" The door of the inn slid open and Aiko called out to Rina interrupting their conversation.

"Breakfast is ready Rina!" called out Aiko and then took notice of Jirou . "Jirou! You're back from the market it seems, did you find what you were looking for my dear?" she asked. Jirou, with a big grin on his face, then held up a squirming leather sack of fresh live fish to show Aiko

"Here you are my love. Fresh from the river! Hehehe." answered Jirou. Aiko giggled at her husband's enthusiasm.

"I see, well you two come on in and have your breakfast okay." said Aiko and then headed back inside disappearing out of sight.

"I'm going to go ahead and finish sweeping. Why don't you go ahead and head back in, I'll join up with you two as soon as I'm done." said Rina calmly trying to avert the conversation earlier.

"Oh no you don't young lady." insisted Jirou, noticing Rina's attempt to deflect the subject. "Look Rina, I'm worried about you okay? And I'm sure Aiko would be as well so if you have a problem in mind you can tell us. You're like a daughter to us now, you can trust us with anything you have in mind and we'll help in any way we can." Rina could not help but put up a gentle smile upon hearing his reply and embraced him.

"Thank you, but I would prefer it if we can discuss this with Aiko. I would like for her to know as well." Rina replied as she broke off her embrace. "...and after I finish cleaning of course."

Jirou chuckled for a moment. "Alright young lady, I'll see you inside." he said. Rina then bowed and continued on sweeping as Jirou headed inside the inn humming happily.

* * *

The inn was coming alive and getting busier as the travelers and merchants lodging in the establishment awoke and the usual patrons came in for food and merry beverages. Rina was busy moving between the floor and the kitchen, helping Aiko with serving the customers, and preparing ingredients for Jirou while he was engaged with his signature cooking technique; A technique in which he uses his firebending to cook. Jirou says it helps him maintain the food at a proper temperature when cooking.

The busy atmosphere would start to subside in the middle of the afternoon in which they would be able to catch some amount respite. The three of them sat at a free table during this time to eat and talk about happenings and all other subjects to talk about.

"So Rina, do you remember what we talked about earlier this morning?" asked Jirou. The question caught Aiko's attention as well. Rina looked at the two both intently staring at her and concluded that there was no way she was going to get away from the subject.

"Well..." Rina paused as she thought about how to go about what she wanted to say, her downcast eyes now looking at her reflection on a cup of tea between her hands. "I don't really know how to go about it but it started a few months ago. I would occasionally have this dream. No, I think it would be more of a memory. It's of me jumping off a cliff into a river." She brought her eyes back up and saw that Aiko and Jirou are both now showing worried faces. "It's not that it's bothering me or anything. I have come to terms with it already so you two don't have to worry about me." continued Rina and she gave a faint smile hoping it would make the two of them to stop worrying. Aiko then looked at her husband and saw that he was at a loss for words and did not know what to say.

"Rina, of course we are going to worry about you. Sometimes I see you spacing out, lost in thought throughout the day. Is this the reason for it?" asked Aiko and Rina nodded in response. "Well that clears things up a little bit." continued Aiko but could sense that something was still amiss.

"But still Rina, five months ago? Surely you must have said something to us in that time." Jirou interjected in a disappointed tone. "I can't help but feel that you are trying to hide something." he continued.

"I apologize for not telling you both sooner. I just didn't want to trouble you two with my problems and also..." Rina paused hesitating for a moment if she should say what was on her mind but then she thought of what Jirou told her earlier in the morning _'You're like a daughter to us now, you can trust us with anything you have in mind and we'll help in any way we can.'_. She lowered her head, closed her eyes and proceeded to talk hoping for the best. "I did not really know what to make of it until this morning but I'm really curious of what happened to me in the past. If it's possible, I would like to travel and find out who I was in the past."

The couple looked at each other with surprise and looked back at the young lady who seemed nervous. After a brief moment, Rina opened her eyes and lifter her head up expecting disappointment but was quite surprised when she saw them with their content faces. Jirou chuckled at the situation, breaking the tense atmosphere.

"See Rina was that so hard?" teased Jirou.

Aiko stood up and sat down on the empty seat beside Rina. "The truth is Rina, we have always known that you would and tell us you're planning to leave one day." affirmed Aiko.

"What do you mean? How did you know?" Rina asked out of curiosity.

"We knew that one day you would get curious about your past. No matter how far away you run from it, it will catch up to you - it doesn't matter even if you remember it or not. That, Rina, is exactly what is happening with you right now." Jirou explained. "You can go whenever you want Rina, I know what it's like to go against what your heart tells you to do. And even if we did try to stop you, chances are you're probably gonna end up running anyways." he continued.

"Sure we'll be lonely without you here but we'll manage. Just make sure to come back every now and then alright." said Aiko and embraced her. All of Rina's worries seemed to have alleviated at this moment.

"I promise…and thank you... both of you. Thank you very much!" said Rina and bowed her head.

"Raise your head Rina, no need to thank us. We'll do anything for family remember?" Jirou assured her and Rina nodded. "But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves now. Do you even know where to go after you leave?" asked Jirou.

"I'm not really sure where to go, but I do remember some fragments of my memories." replied Rina "I remember a city on fire with a big structure in the middle. I can't seem to make it out clearly but the city seemed to be in a crater of some sort. There is fire everywhere around me, blue and red flames…That's all that I can recall. Do you know anything about it?" she continued. Aiko thought for a second and came to a conclusion very quickly.

"That kind of sounds like-"

"The Capital City! It's definitely has to be the Capital City, the Royal City to be exact." Jirou exclaimed.

"The Royal City?" asked Rina, avid to get more information that might connect to her past.

"Mhmm. That's the area of the city where the Royal Family and the wealthy nobles and elites live. It's located on top of a volcanic crater above the Capital City, and the big structure you spoke of must be the Royal Palace." He informed. "Come to think of it…" he paused briefly and he examined Rina. "Yes, the pale complexion, the silk-like hair, the pretty face and a well-cared for body. Young lady I think you are of nobility." confirmed Jirou.

"Now now dear, let us not jump to conclusions. But what you said does make sense." said Aiko.

"Right? And as for the city being on fire, I heard that the city was in flames four years ago when Sozin's Comet was visible up in the sky. Apparently Fire Lord Zuko and the former Crown Princess Azula had an Agni Kai for the throne, which unfortunately had set the city in flames." added Jirou. A bell chimed as the door to the inn opened. Aiko quick on her feet stood up and got to work.

"Let me take care of the new customer dear. I'll be right back." said Aiko and went on her way, leaving the two to continue on with the conversation.

"Azula…" whispered Rina. She felt something but cannot quite make out what it is upon hearing the name. "Somehow that name sounds familiar, maybe she can help me. Do you know any more about her? Can I meet her?" asked Rina, now in a more avid tone than before only to be met with a disappointed gaze.

"Not much unfortunately. I don't even know what she looks like. Sorry Rina." apologized Jirou "I did, however, hear stories that she is ruthless and manipulative, and that she went insane after her battle with the Fire Lord." The conversation became still for a while, Jirou had noticed Rina contemplating about what he just said. "Now I know what you're thinking, and I'm not telling you not to do it. I'm just warning you to stay away from such a person, especially if that person is mentally unstable. I don't want you getting hurt." cautioned Jirou as if he just read her mind. Rina could not help but feel sorry for the princess.

"That's not true, what if she's just misunderstood. There has to be a reason why she acts the way she does, maybe she just needed someone to look after her like you two did for me. If somehow we knew each other, maybe I can help her?" said Rina followed by a chuckle. Jirou sighed at her comment.

"I swear, Aiko's rubbed off on you too much. You two always put other people in front of you instead of yourselves." said Jirou and then took a sip of his tea, thinking about a flashback of him saving Aiko because she helped a bunch of wounded bandits and ended up being held hostage.

"You act like that's a bad thing." said Rina who cannot help but laugh at his comparison.

"Oh trust me, you don't even know... I end up saving her every time she gets in trouble because of her personality back when we were younger." said Jirou.

"What about the Fire Lord? Do you think I would be able to speak with him?" suggested Rina.

"It won't be easy gaining audience with the Fire Lord if that's what you're trying to do." said a woman's voice. Rina and Jirou both turned their heads to where the voice came from and saw a middle aged woman approaching alongside Aiko. Rina and Jirou stood up to attend to their new guest.

"Well look who decided to visit." said Jirou as he stood up and approached her. "Good to see you again Airi." Jirou then gave her a quick embrace and a peck on her cheek.

"It's good to see you too Jirou." greeted Airi and then shifted her attention to the young woman standing behind to Jirou.

"Rina, this is my sister, Airi. The guest I told you about earlier this morning." said Aiko. Rina then took a bow and introduced herself.

"Hello Ma'am. I am Rina, Aiko has told me so much about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." said Rina followed by a sweet gentle smile.

"Oh my, so polite and beautiful. I am pleased to meet you as well Rina, and no need to be so formal my dear child, you can call me Airi." insisted Airi as she examined Rina's face. "And I can see why Aiko named you Rina, you look just like a younger version of her."

"Ah yes, Aiko has told me about her too," said Rina. Rina remembered, some time ago, when she asked Aiko why she decided to call her Rina. Aiko told Rina that she very resembled her teacher, a master herbalist that taught her everything she knew about plants and herbal medicines, whose name was also Rina.

"Only if she was still alive, ohh the look on that old lady's face would have been priceless if she ever saw this young girl." joked Airi.

"Indeed." agreed Aiko and both of them shared a giggle. Jirou could not help but be repulsed by the sound of their giggling and turned to Rina..

"Oh no… It's started. Rina don't be like these two. Whenever they're together, all you hear is giggling, it's like being surrounded by a bunch of screeching flutter bats." cautioned Jirou.

"Ohh shut it, you old buffon." teased Aiko. The three women were now looking at Jirou's funny looking irked face and started giggling.

"Not you too Rina! Ugh… I'll never get what it is with you women." said Jirou with his palm covering his face in disappointment..

"Now that we're done with the introductions, let's get you settled in shall we? I'm sure you must be tired from your journey Airi." suggested Aiko.

Shortly after showing Airi to a guest room and helping her carry her luggage, they soon found themselves back at the table where they were sitting at before

"Can I get you anything Airi?" asked Rina, remembering to be hospitable as much as possible to guests. A habit she picked up from Aiko.

"Some tea would be quite nice. Thank you Rina." said Airi. Rina then bowed and went on her way to the kitchen, leaving the three to their conversation.

"Such a sweet girl, you wrote to me before and said that you found her washed up on the river shore?" asked Airi. She could not help but be curious of Rina as she noticed something familiar from the way she spoke.

"Yes, we found her unconscious on that shore about three years ago while we were taking a walking down by the river. We were fortunate enough to save her but unfortunately she couldn't remember most of her memories, not even her name." said Aiko who is suddenly feeling gloomy. "I still remember that day, I was so worried for her. Her clothes were tattered as if she had been running from savage animals for days."

"I see... I wonder how she ended up all the way out here in Ko'miya. It's such a remote place from the Capital City." said Airi.

"What do you mean Airi? How do you know she's from the Capital City?" asked Aiko. Aiko and Jirou were amazed at how she managed to figure out so quickly after just a brief conversation.

"My apologies, I should have explained before mentioning it. Seeing as how I have lived in the Capital City for a while now, I could tell by the way spoke that she's someone who is born from the Capital City. She talks like one of those noble women who come to my flower shop at the harbor city from time to time to be honest, definitely looks like one too." pointed out Airi.

"Hah! I knew it. My gut feeling was right." Jirou blurted out, hopeful that they finally have somewhere to start with in helping Rina get back her memories and give her some closure.

"Say, Airi…" said Aiko with worry in her eyes. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"Anything for you Sis, just ask. Is something wrong?" asked Airi upon noticing the seriousness in Aiko's eyes.

"I'm just worried about Rina. We were talking about her going to the Capital City earlier. She's trying to get her memories back and the only clue we have so far is her memory of the Royal City in the Caldera. Would you be willing to take her with you and look after her in the Capital City?" asked Aiko. "I just can't help but feel that something seems off. You said it yourself earlier, how she ended all the way up here in a remote village far away from the Capital City. What if she was running away from someone who is trying to get her killed? I just can't bear the thought of her..." Aiko paused, her eyes seeming as if they were about to cry. Jirou wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.

"She'll be fine darling, you're just thinking about it too much." said Jirou trying to console her. After a while Aiko had calmed down and both turned to Airi awaiting a reply. Before Airi could give a reply however, Rina had come back with a salver containing a teapot and some tea cups. She set it in the middle of the table and poured Airi a cup of tea.

"Here you go Airi." said Rina oblivious to the conversation that had just happened while she was in the kitchen. She could however sense some tension in the atmosphere. Airi took a sip of tea while Rina went ahead and took a seat beside her.

"Mmm, This tea is delicious Rina! You are very good at making tea." complemented Airi before taking another sip.

"Thank you!" said Rina, though still feeling uncomfortable due to the tension in the air.

"That's not the only thing she's good at; you should see her go at it when the place is busy. Haha!" bragged Jirou, attempting to break up the gloomy mood. Rina cannot help but let out a chuckle at Jirou's liveliness, but silence took over a few moments later.

"Did something happen while I was gone?" asked Rina, unable to take the uncomfortable silence any longer. Airi made an audible sound of clearing her throat, trying to get everyone's attention.

"Rina…Would you like to come along with me when I return to the Capital City? Aiko told me about you wanting to go to the Capital City earlier. I could also use some help running my flower shop down at the city." asked Airi. Rina's eyes widened at her proposition and her heart filled up with so much joy that it feels like it's about to burst.

"Of course! I would be happy to go with... you." Rina said in an elated tone but her happiness seemed to have been cut short at suddenly realization of the cost of her impending departure. She turned towards the couple sitting in front of her. "Aiko… Jirou…" she whispered.

"Go ahead Rina. We'll always be here for you when you come back." said Aiko.

"Go on Rina, you need this, or else you're gonna be wondering about who you are for the rest of your life. Follow what your heart tells you." affirmed Jirou.

"So what will it be Rina?" asked Airi once again. Rina thought about what Jirou said and he was right.

" _Jirou had been giving me advice all these years and all turned out for the better, so why would I doubt him now?_ " Rina thought to herself and with Jirou's advice, her mind was made up. She looked to Airi with a resolute spark in her eyes.

"Yes, I will go with you to the Capital City." answered Rina. Airi nodded as to acknowledge Rina's answer. The mood seemed to have lifted as soon as she gave her answer, all four of them now wearing content smiles on their faces.

* * *

The rest of the day went by quickly as they conversed merrily about what life in the Capital City was like and sharing old memories with Rina, stories about their younger days. By the time dusk came, Airi was now in her room resting from her long journey. Aiko attended to the customers in their rooms making sure that their needs were met; Rina was busy making sure everything in the inn was clean and presentable and would occasionally help Aiko, while Jirou cooked dinner for their customers as they requested.

Rina would always go to the garden at the back of the inn when all the work was finished. She would sit at the wooden patio overlooking the garden to gaze at the stars. The garden was spacious and covered in carefully trimmed grass and to the corners were a variety of beautiful flowers. There was a small greenhouse at the back of the garden in which Aiko grew her herbs for making medicine, a cherry blossom tree was in the middle of the garden, and beside it was a small pond where many Koi Fish of different colors lived. This habit of hers started some weeks after she had recovered. One night Jirou and Aiko found Rina at garden crying. They went to console her and told her, that if she ever felt lonely again, to just look at the stars in the night sky and to believe that at the exact same moment, someone who cared for her would be looking at the same stars she was looking at thinking about her.

Approaching heavy footsteps could be heard before the door slid behind her revealing Jirou, holding a pipe and a bag of dried herbs.

"Hello there young lady, what are you doing out here on your own?" asked Jirou.

"Nothing, I'm just looking at the stars… and no I'm not lonely or anything, it just eases my mind looking at them." said Rina expecting Jirou to question why.

"Haha, being sharp now are you? Well don't mind me I'm just here to get some fresh air." said Jirou. Rina now noticed Jirou stuffing his pipe with the dried herbs.

"Where is Aiko? And are you smoking your pipe again? You know Aiko hates it when you do that, she says it can kill you, you know? " inquired Rina followed by a sigh.

"Now you're starting to sound like her too. Aiko is at the tailor shop right now taking care of some business and seeing as she's not here right now gives me time to do one of my guilty pleasures." said Jirou. He then pointed two fingers towards the end of his pipe, lit the dried herbs with his firebending and started to smoke.

"You know, sometimes I wish I could firebend." said Rina.

"Why is that?" asked Jirou as he took another puff of smoke from his pipe.

"So I can finally cook the way you do, it looks fun to do, and maybe to protect myself and other people if the need ever comes." said Rina.

"Haha! Fair enough reasons I guess." said Jirou "It didn't really cross my mind before so we don't really know if you can firebend or not. I know a basic firebending technique that you can try. Do you want to find out if you can firebend?" suggested Jirou.

"Ok, it wouldn't hurt to try." agreed Rina as the subject has now piqued her interest.

"Alright but we're gonna need some space just in case so we don't burn stuff down if something goes wrong. Let's move over there shall we?" said Jirou pointing out to an empty wide space in the garden.

The two of them then moved to the said location and Jirou instructed Rina on how to make a basic firebending posture, standing with back straight and feet shoulder width apart.

"Ok Rina, now I want you to follow the way I breathe." instructed Jirou and showed Rina the breathing technique and soon she followed suite as if she had done this before.

"Good, that's how you do it, now why doesn't it surprise me that you learn fast." complemented Jirou. "Now hold your hands in front of your chest as if you're holding a ball and I want you to think of what drives you the most." said Jirou. Rina could only think of one thing for her drive right now. " _I want to remember who I am._ " she thought to herself.

"After you think about your drive I want you to use it to channel your Chi." said Jirou.

"My what?" asked Rina with a confused look on her face.

"Your Chi is your life energy. If you can truly firebend you should be able to feel it naturally flowing in your body. Close your eyes, think about your drive and focus, you should be able to feel it." instructed Jirou. Rina did as she was instructed closed her eyes and immediately she could feel a strong, warm, tingling sensation, coming from the core of her very being, flowing throughout her whole body.

"Finally if you feel anything at all, I want you try and move that sensation to the space between your hands while doing it in unison with the breathing technique I showed you earlier." instructed Jirou.

Rina did as she was instructed, she closed her eyes and tried to channel her chi between her hands. As soon as she exhaled her first breath a big ball of flame appeared out of thin air between her hands. Jirou's eyes widened in amazement at Rina being successful on her first try and not only that, she made such a large amount of flame with ease.

"Well would you look at that. Rina, open your eyes." said Jirou. Rina opened her eyes and smiled at the sight of the flame between her hands.

"Look Jirou! I did it! It's beautiful!" exclaimed Rina in excitement. However, she noticed something different with her flame.

Her flame color was white.


	2. Blossom

**A/N** : Hello there again! Here's my submission for this week. I think I droned on too much with the fluff(is that what you call it?) but I had to set up some stuff in this chapter for future chapters and also heres the chapter theme...  
Chapter Theme: The Piano Guys - A Sky Full of Stars

* * *

Life went on as normal for the past week and a half. During their free time, Jirou had been busy teaching Rina how to firebend to the extent of his knowledge in the art. He also decided to teach Rina his cooking technique as he figured it was something he could give her as a parting gift for when the day of her departure arrives. Jirou was amazed at how quickly Rina got used to firebending which made him have this sneaking suspicion that she was a firebender in the past. She was able to do forms that would normally take years to accomplish; it was as if it came to her naturally because her movements were so fluid and sharp that you would almost think she was doing a dance. The main beauty of her firebending however, was her white flame that glowed vibrantly as it sparked and faded in the air, and the heat that radiated from her flame felt as if the Sun itself was shining right in front of you. He had not seen anything like it before in his whole life and it certainly was a sight to behold. Aiko and Airi were also surprised to learn that she could firebend. Whoever would have believed that such a gentle young woman could have such power and finesse in the art of firebending.

The night before her departure, after she had finished packing her things, Rina was walking throughout the whole inn as to take one final view of the place before leaving; before she knew it, she was once again in the garden looking up at the night sky. She felt nervous about her departure for tomorrow but as soon as she was looking up at the stars, her uneasiness had completely faded away.

"At least this is a something I won't be leaving behind." said Rina smiling ever so beautifully. The door slid open behind her prompting her to turn around. She saw Aiko holding in her arms what looked like a parcel that was wrapped in paper.

"There you are. What are you doing out here all alone?" said Aiko as she approached Rina. "I've been looking for you."

"I was just looking at the stars." said Rina as she turned her gaze back to the stars. Aiko was now standing beside her, also looking at the night sky.

"Pretty, aren't they?" commented Aiko, remembering the first time they shared a moment in the garden together.

"Indeed. The next time I'll be looking at these stars, I will be thinking about you and Jirou." said Rina. "You said you were looking for me?" asked Rina, remembering what Aiko had said earlier.

"Ah, yes I was. Come with me, I want to show you something." said Aiko.

Rina followed Aiko and soon found herself in Aiko and Jirou's room. Jirou was on the bed sleeping like a log. Rina could not help but notice the empty bottle of rice wine tipped over on floor next to Jirou.

"What happened to him? I know he's not one to drink that much." asked Rina with a worried look on her face.

"Oh, don't mind him. The old fool was out drinking with his friends earlier and ended up drinking himself to sleep." informed Aiko, smiling faintly at her husband's silliness. "You know he may not seem like it but he's quite dejected with the thought of you going away." she added. Upon hearing this Rina went ahead and picked up the empty bottle and placed it on a small table top next to the bed. She then went beside Jirou, leaned down to him, brushed her long hair aside and gave Jirou a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you for caring for me so much Jirou." Rina whispered to his ear.

"Mrmrrmrmmr…" grumbled Jirou, still sound asleep. The two women could not help but giggle at his reaction.

"Even while sleeping he still manages to make us laugh." commented Aiko. "Come here Rina, I have something to show you." said Aiko, motioning for Rina to stand in front of the mirror and Rina did as she was told.

"Close your eyes." instructed Aiko with a scheming grin on her face.

"What is it?" asked Rina as she closed her eyes, excited to know what Aiko was planning to do. Moments later she heard the sound of paper being unwrapped and the rustling of cloth.

"You'll find out soon enough. I'm going to take off your yukata, ok?" said Aiko. Rina agreed and Aiko proceeded to undress her, leaving her with only her undershirt and underwear for a brief moment. What came next was the sensation of a smooth, silk fabric that wrapped around her. Rina could only guess that she was being dressed up in something as Aiko lifted her arms to fit in what seemed like sleeves for a garment.

"Alright, open your eyes." instructed Aiko after she finished tying up an elegant jet black sash, which was indelibly painted to have what looked like Cherry Blossoms and petals, around Rina's waist. Rina opened her eyes and they widened in awe when she saw her reflection in the mirror. She was now wearing a silk furisode that was dyed in Scarlet Red with streaks of Snow White and just like the obi around her waist; it was also painted to have pink and white Cherry Blossoms and falling petals. The garment complemented Rina's pale skin and pretty face really well that she now looked like a noblewoman or a princess even, all that was missing now was a headpiece.

"Aiko, this is so beautiful!" said Rina, who was now busy turning her body around in front of the mirror, trying to look at the dress from different angles.

"Yes indeed, and I want you to have it." said Aiko. Rina quickly turned around and glanced at Aiko with a surprised look.

"I… This is too much, how much did you –"

"The cost matters not." declared Aiko, cutting Rina off before she could finish her question. "It is a gift for you Rina, from both Jirou and I. We want you to have it, as a reminder that you mean so much to us. That you will always have a home waiting here for you… and that you will… always… be in our hearts." whimpered Aiko, unable to hold back her tear any longer.

"Aiko…" said Rina, quickly moving in to embrace the woman. "thank you… thank you for everything… I love you." she whimpered, now with tears also streaming down on her face.

"I love you too… my dear daughter." said Aiko.

* * *

Rina woke up early the next morning to make sure everything she needed to bring was packed and ready to go before she left. She did not bring much, just her clothes, some pocket money, and a small picture of her with Aiko and Jirou. After taking a bath and getting dressed up in her travelling outfit, she took her luggage and went outside to take in the fresh morning air like she always does. Airi soon joined her along with Aiko and Jirou and they went on to walk into the village. Soon they found themselves at the village dock which was bustling with people who were busy with their work. The four of them stopped in front of the sailing ship that would take Airi and Rina to the Capital City. While the ship's crew was busy loading crates onto the vessel, a man who was carrying a crate at the side of the ship greeted them. The man's name was Shen, one of Jirou's close friends and the captain of the ship.

"Ah, there you guys are! Jirou, hope your head's doing ok, you've had too much to drink last night. Hahaha!" Shen exclaimed as he walked on by. "Hop on board ladies, we will begin to set sail shortly. I just need to get some shipments and supplies on board." he said as he boarded the ship, leaving the four alone to bid their farewells.

"Well, this is it young la… Rina." said Jirou looking Rina with watery eyes, trying to hold back his tears as much as he can. "Don't get yourself into too much trouble now ok?" he said and gave Rina his farewell embrace.

"I will, goodbye Jirou." said Rina, she then went to Aiko and embraced her as well. "Goodbye Aiko."

"Goodbye my dear, take care of yourself." said Aiko. Rina then waved the two of them goodbye and boarded the ship. The couple then turned to Airi and said their farewell to her as well.

"Don't worry too much about her, I'll take good care of her." reassured Airi.

"Thank you Airi, take care of yourself and come back and visit again okay." said Aiko. Airi nodded and boarded the ship.

After Shen and his crew were finished loading supplies on board, the ship had set sail into the river shortly after. Rina and Airi were at the side of the ship waving the couple goodbye. Rina was unsure of what she was feeling as she got farther and farther away from the dock. She was smiling but tears ran down her face at the same time; Airi held her hand to assure her that everything was going to be alright. When the village was out of sight and over the horizon, Rina went to the ship's bow and looked forward onto what looked like the mouth of the river where it meets the sea. Her eyes glowed with excitement at the beautiful sight as if it was her first time seeing it. Shen, noticing the curious young lady, walked up beside her.

"Like what you see, Miss? I remember my first time looking at this sight, welcome to the sea." Shen said proudly as if he was introducing his home.

"Yes, it's beautiful!" exclaimed Rina. "How long do you think it will take to reach the Capital City?" she asked.

"About two or three days, depending on the winds." said Shen. "Come, let me show you and Airi where you can rest while were sailing." The two women then followed Shen as he showed them to a cabin.

Meanwhile, back at the village, Jirou and Aiko were walking through the village, heading back to the inn. The two were silent for a while until Aiko broke the numbing silence between them.

"She really blossomed into a quite a woman don't you think so?" asked Aiko, trying to get her husband to talk.

"Mhm... indeed" replied Jirou with a lifeless look on his face. Aiko looked at him and took it as a sign that he did not want to talk for the time being. That is until Jirou put his arm around his wife's waist and pulled her closer to him.

"I want a boy next time." said Jirou. Aiko's eyes widened in surprise as her face turned red and looked again at Jirou who now had a cunning smile on his face.

"Oh you… silly husband mine."

* * *

"Rina… Rina wake up." said Airi as she shook Rina trying to wake her up from her slumber. Rina woke up and stretched her arms as to get her blood flowing.

"What time is it Airi?" asked Rina as she rubbed her eyes trying to get rid of her sleepiness.

"Dawn is about to break. Get your things ready we're near the Capital City." informed Airi.

Two days had passed since they departed from Ko'miya and now they were almost at their destination. Rina suddenly felt her drowsiness fade away as her thoughts filled with excitement. She grabbed her bag and rushed outside to the deck of the ship. The ship had just passed the large sea wall, built to protect the Capital in the event of an invasion. To the east, Rina saw the Sun which was just beginning to rise up from the horizon and to the west, she saw the Fire Nation Capital City which lies below a dormant volcano. As soon as Rina had set her eyes on the metropolis, her head started to throb in pain for a brief moment, prompting her to drop her bag on the deck, and she suddenly remembered a memory.

"Ah!" cried Rina as she put her hands to the sides of her head. Airi, who had just come out from inside the ship, saw Rina holding her head with a pained expression and rushed to her aid.

"Rina! What's wrong? Are you alright?" asked Airi, holding on to Rina trying to see what is wrong. Rina looked to Airi as the pain slowly subsided and Airi saw that Rina's eye color were golden for a split second and then faded to back to silver. Airi thought it must have just been her imagination and dismissed it as she was worried about Rina.

"I… I think I'm alright." said Rina trying to reassure Airi that nothing was wrong and that the headache had subsided. "I just had a memory come back to me." informed Rina.

"What did you remember?" asked Airi, still with a worried look on her face.

"I've seen this sight before..." said Rina as she looked towards the Capital City. "But I remember that air above the city used to be darker, filled smoke and ashes, and the docks… it used to be full of warships." she added.

"I see… I didn't really live here until the war ended, but I heard that's what city used to look like. But on the other hand, it looks like were headed in the right direction as to where your memories are concerned." said Airi.

"I hope everything's alright over there, we should be docking shortly!" called out Shen, who was looking at them from the ship's bridge. The ship's crew was busy running all over the ship preparing for the ship the dock and a few minutes later they were at their destination. Airi and Rina stepped off the ship followed by Shen shortly after.

"Well were we are, the Fire Nation Capital." said Shen.

"Thank you for taking us with you Shen." said Airi. She then took some coins from her bag and handed them out to Shen. "Here for your trouble."

"No need to pay me Airi, anything for an old friend." refused Shen as he held up his hand. "And besides, having someone on the ship who knows how to cook food is enough to make up for it." added Shen as he looked towards Rina.

"Oh, it's nothing really. Thank you for the ride." said Rina and then smiled and bowed at him for the praise.

"I see, well here off then. Thanks again Shen, until next time." said Airi.

"Goodbye Shen. Thanks again." said Rina. "And goodbye to you guys up there on the ship!" called out Rina and then she smiled and waved to the ship's crew whom Rina had unknowingly charmed during the duration of her trip. The men's faces turned red and were stopped in their tracks as they waved back at her. Shen turned around only to see his crew love-struck and now standing in place seeming to be like statues.

"Get back to work ya bunch of slugs! We have shipments to unload!" Shen scolded them and immediately they rush back to their work. Airi giggled and Rina looked at her seeming confused as to what just happened.

"What is it?" asked Rina.

"Oh it's nothing. Come Rina, let's be on our way." Airi replied and the two of them then went off into the city.

* * *

After about half an hour of walking and chatting with Airi, Rina found herself in front of a flower shop located in a shopping district at the outer parts of Harbor City; Harbor City was the name for the lower, commoner area of the Capital. The shop was a two story building like one of the many others in the shopping district. On the lower floor was the flower shop and the upper floor was where Airi and her family lived. They enter the shop and a door chime ringed as to inform the shopkeeper that there were customers.

"Wow! Look at all these beautiful flowers!" Rina exclaimed as they entered the shop. The exterior of that shop was filled with a variety flowers neatly and carefully arranged, on the shelves and platforms, by type and color.

"You should see the garden at the back; there are more flowers over there." informed Airi. Shortly after, a middle aged man, who was wearing glasses, then came from the back of the shop to check on who just entered the store.

"Airi, you're back!" the man exclaimed as he dashed towards Airi, hugged her, and kissed her. "I missed you my sweet sugar honey pie." he added. Airi blushed at his comments which something Rina found amusing as Airi was more of a serious type of person in comparison to her sister. Rina chuckled at the sight of the affectionate couple in front of her.

"Uh… Ren, calm down will you. We have a guest with us." said Airi. Ren noticed the young lady standing behind his wife.

"Whoa! Who's the pretty young gal my darling?" said Ren, looking at Rina who was smiling at him.

"Well… Maybe if you would let me go, I can introduce you." demanded Airi in a serious tone. Ren quickly broke of his embrace with Airi upon sensing Airi's hostile aura. Immediately afterwards however, a young little boy, who seemed to be about six years of age, ran down the stairs to check on what was going on at the shop.

"Mom!" the boy exclaimed as he dashed towards Airi and hugged her by the waist. "I missed you so much." said the boy, burying his face on his mother's clothes.

"I missed you too sweetie." said Airi, smiling at her son and patting his head. Rina could not help but smile as well.

"How come you don't get mad when Rei does it." said Ren, who was now pouting.

"Because he's a kid and he's acting like what a kid should be, unlike someone around here." said Airi, giving her husband a spine-chilling glare.

"Dad's jealous cause Mommy loves me more than him. Bleh!" said Rei, sticking out his tongue at his father.

"Why you little brat! Why I oughta –"

"That quite enough both of you!" barked Airi. Ren and Rei immediately stop bickering and stood silent with terrified looks on their faces.

"Now as I was saying…" said Airi and turned to Rina. "This is Rina. Your Aunt Aiko and Uncle Jirou had asked me to take care of her while she's in the Capital City so she will be living and helping us with the shop for the time being. Rina, this is my husband Ren and my son Rei." informed Airi.

"Hello, it's nice to finally meet both of you; Airi has told me so much about you both. I'll be in your care." greeted Rina and then graciously bowed at the two.

"Oh! So you're the girl Aiko mentioned about in her letters. Nice to meet ya!" greeted Ren. Rei approached Rina and examined her.

"Wow! You're pretty. Does this mean you'll be my big sister now?" asked Rei. Rina crouched down to meet the little boy at face level and smiled.

"I can be if you want me to." Rina replied as she gently rubbed Rei's head.

"Yay!" Rei exclaimed and embraced Rina which caught her by surprise.

"I'm guessing that's a yes." said Rina, embracing the little boy and letting out a chuckle. The two of them then broke their embrace and Rei started chatting with Rina asking her many questions. While the two were busy conversating, Ren got closer to Airi and leaned in towards her.

"She kinda reminds me of Aiko, don't you think? You know that's something Aiko would do." Ren whispered to his wife.

"She really does, doesn't she." Airi replied, happy to see that her son got along with Rina just fine. "Alright, I think that's enough questions Rei. Rina, come with me. I'll show you to your room and you can take a bath first and rest afterwards if you want. I'm sure your as tired as I am." said Airi.

* * *

A week had passed since her arrival to the Capital. Rina was already getting used to the life in the City. Every day, the shopping district would come alive and thousands of people would walk by. It certainly was busier than when she was in Ko'miya but to everyone's surprise, she seemed to adapt pretty quickly. She had also introduced herself to the people in the neighboring shops and they were pleased to find a new friendly face in the neighborhood.

Rina was at the garden, behind the shop, tending to the plants. As soon as she was finished watering the plants, she could not help but look up at the sky and be delighted. The weather was perfect, not too hot and not too cold. But as soon as her gaze met with the dormant volcano to the west, the elated expression on her face turned to disappointment. Unfortunately for her, she still has not regained any of her memories other than when she first saw the city from the ship. Her only clue lies in the Caldera City but only nobles and elites were allowed to enter there. Airi got out from the shop looking for Rina only to find her looking towards the dormant volcano.

"Rina! Would you like to go to the market today?" called out Airi. She thought it might be a good idea for Rina to explore the city for now.

"Sure Airi." replied Rina as she approached Airi. Airi then took out a folded piece of paper from her pocket.

"Here is a list of what I need you to buy." said Airi, handing over the list and some money to Rina.

"I'll be back before you know it." said Rina.

"Take your time Rina. You can go explore the city if you want. You might be able to recall your memories as you explore." suggested Airi.

"Alright, Thank you Airi. I'll see you later!" said Rina, now with a spark of excitement in her eyes

"Be careful okay?" advised Airi. Rina nodded and then went on her way out to the market

The market was a busy place, especially during the noon and after noon hours. The streets were crowded with people buying and selling their merchandise and sometimes the occasional carts used to transport merchandise. Rina had already bought all of the things in Airi's list and was now exploring the city. For some unknown reason, Rina found it easy to navigate through the city; although she didn't know the street names, she knew where to go like there was a map inside her head.

Rina would occasionally stop to window shop in front of stores that caught her attention. She stopped in front of a store, this time what caught her attention was a golden headpiece in the shape of a flame on displayed in front of the store and she could not help but be mesmerized at how beautiful it looked. She started looking at her reflection on the glass window trying to imagine what she looked like if she wore that headpiece but moments later she saw in the reflection a woman, dressed in a royal garment, standing right beside her. Rina's eyes widened in shock as she realized that there was no one standing next to her. Initially, her reaction was to gasp and run away but she noticed the woman was trying to tell her something and she managed calmed herself down. The woman's mouth moved but there was no audible sound coming out so Rina tried to read her lips.

"I… love… you… A…" mumbled Rina, unable to discern the last word. The woman slowly started to fade away.

"Wait! I-"

A man suddenly grabbed her on shoulder and Rina turned around to see who it was. Rina was now surrounded by a group of men with a tattoo of a red dragon on the side of their faces.

"Hey there miss, you look kinda cute. Wanna hang out with us for today?" said the man who grabbed her shoulder. The man seemed to be the leader of the group as he was the one with the most intimidating face.

"No thanks." Rina said as she noticed their malicious intent. She tried to leave but they have surrounded her in such a way that all the paths are blocked. The man then grabbed Rina's arm and pulled her closer causing her to drop the things she bought for Airi.

"Come on it will be fun." he said. Rina now realized what was happening and tried pulled her arm away but the man's grip was too tight. However, instead of feeling fear, Rina became furious.

"I said NO!" Rina declared as she stomped on the man's foot causing him to release his grip and scream in pain. She then assumed a fighting stance threw a punch to the man's chest. When the punch connected, white flame burst out of her hand and launched the man back, along with two of his men, into a passing cart. The cart, full of cabbages, was destroyed due to the strong impact.

"No, my cabbages!" cried the old man who owned the cart. The rest of the men who were left standing went to the aid of their leader as he got up.

"What are you doing?! Go get her!" he commanded and his men ran towards Rina. Rina surrounded herself with a wall of white flame to prevent her assailants from getting closer.

"Tsk! Get back men, let's retreat for now." commanded the leader causing his men to run away while carrying their injured comrades. "You will pay for this humiliation! No one messes with the Red Dragon Gang!" the man yelled to Rina as he was getting carried by his men and pretty soon they were out of sight.

Rina, realizing what she had done, extinguished her flames and quickly went to pick up the things she had dropped. She then went to the old man who was crying over his destroyed cart and ruined cabbages.

"Are you alright mister? I apologize for hitting your cart, I didn't know they were going to crash into it." apologized Rina and then helped him get.

"Well I…" the old man paused as he saw the beautiful young lady with an apologetic face and blushed. "It's quite alright young lady. I can't blame you for trying to protect yourself." said the old man.

"Are you sure? I don't have much with me but I can give –"

"No, no… don't worry about it. In fact you should be worried about yourself." said the old man who now had a serious look on his face. "You, young lady, just angered the Red Dragon Gang. They'll be sure to come after you, so watch you back. Now off you go! Before the city guards get here and get yourself in trouble." warned the old man. As Rina walked away from the scene, she could not help but notice the worried look of the people around her as they stared at her. It would seem that Rina had just gotten herself into a big mess.


	3. White Dragon

**A/N:** Hello again! Thank you for the follows and reviews! I don't really know what to make of this chapter. I guess my imagination ran a bit too wild. D:  
I borrowed some philosophy from Alan Watts, about the mind, and tried to put it in a way Iroh would say it... I think. Also the chapter theme is somewhere down in the story for immersion... for me at least. But I hope you guys and gals enjoy! Now I'm off to write the next chapter.

* * *

"You did what!?" Airi yelled. Rina had just told her what happened at the market earlier and immediately Airi became furious. Rei was hiding behind Rina terrified by her mother's anger. "What were you thinking?! You could have been badly hurt, or worse, killed!" she continued. Rina could not help but just make an apologetic face with her downcast eyes. The last time she saw someone this angry was when Aiko had an argument with Jirou for hitting a customer who had disrespected his wife. Needless to say, they did not talk for a whole week, even with Rina acting as a mediator for the couple. Now Rina was worried that Airi would stop talking to her as well.

"Calm down dear, she was just trying to protect herse-" said Ren, trying to explain to her that there was nothing else Rina could have done, but was cut off with Airi's angry glare.

"I… I'm sorry…I didn't know what else to do." apologized Rina. Airi took in a deep breath and sighed. She then shook her head and headed upstairs, leaving the three alone.

"Airi…" Rina said softly. Rei peeked out his head, looking to see if his mother had gone.

"Mom is scary when she's angry, but don't worry Rina. Dad says that she only gets angry like that because she loves you." said the little boy, trying to console Rina.

"It's okay Rina, she just mad because you made her worry so much. She'll calm down soon enough." reassured Ren. The words from the two seemed to work as Rina smiled like she always does, however, there was still the ever lingering feeling of tension in the air accompanied by the rain that was pouring down hard outside.

"Thank you for the comforting words, but I'm still worried however. The people who tried to take me, they said they were the Red Dragon gang." said Rina. The tension in the air turned into dread as soon as Rina muttered the name of the syndicate that had assaulted her. Ren looked at Rina with a serious look on his face. A loud sound of thunder rumbled throughout the city and reverberated to the distances beyond causing Rei to yelp in terror.

"Rei, go to your mother." said Ren. Rei, sensing that his father wanted him gone, did as he was told and went upstairs.

"Rina, I want you to never mention this to Airi. The Red Dragons are criminals and I want you to stay away from them as much as you can. They are dangerous, and they intimidate and exploit the people living in this city to get what they want. Fortunately, they don't have a foothold in this area of the city. But be very careful, I just hope that they haven't sent anyone to look for you." warned Ren. Rina nodded as to heed his warning.

"Good, now let's close up the shop. It's getting dark and I doubt anyone would go out in this heavy thunderstorm." Ren said and they went ahead and prepared to close the shop. Little did they know that a man with a red dragon tattoo on the side of his face had been following Rina and was hiding in the shadows across the street. Smiling deviously at his discovery, he immediately set out to inform his leader about it.

* * *

 **The Fire Nation Royal Palace**

Fire Lord Zuko had just finished his meetings with nobles and diplomats from the other nations; He was at his private chamber trying to rest from all the talking, debating and other political happenings of the day. Sitting at the side of his bed, ready to retire for the night, he could not help but look at the window in front of him and notice the heavy thunderstorm that was happening outside. He saw a brilliant flash of lightning that briefly illuminated the room and reminded him of a certain someone. Zuko had started to remember Azula as he recalled that last time he had seen his sister.

" _Azula! Come back!" called out Zuko, chasing after his sister who was running towards the Forgetful Valley._

" _Come back! Please! I can help you! I want to help you!" he continued calling out to her. Azula stopped running for a brief moment and turned around to face Zuko._

" _Same as always, Zuzu. Even when you're strong… You're weak." Azula said as tears were running down her face, which was a rare sight to see. Her eyes were filled with torment and she had a sad expression on her face seeming as if she had just been betrayed. She then turned around and continued running onwards into the Forgetful Valley, never to be seen again._

"Azula…" Zuko whispered to himself, the expression on his face showed worry and regret. A knock on the door then disturbed his reminiscing.

"Fire Lord Zuko, there is someone here to see you." said one of the Kyoshi Warriors who was guarding the door. Zuko, exhausted for the day, became annoyed.

"Tell them to leave, I am tired and I need some rest." ordered Zuko.

"Come now, nephew. Is that anyway to treat your uncle?" said a familiar voice coming from the other side of the door. Zuko rushed to the door and opened it.

"Uncle!" exclaimed Zuko. The person who stood in front of him was none other than his beloved Uncle Iroh; his eyes filled with joy and embraced the old man. "Uncle Iroh! What brings you to the Capital?" asked Zuko after breaking their embrace.

"Oh, I'm just checking up on how you are doing, my nephew. Besides, it gets boring at the Jasmine Dragon from time to time so I decided to go on a vacation." informed Iroh. Iroh however, could not help but notice the ever so slight traces of worry on his nephew's face.

"What's wrong Zuko? Is there something on you mind?" asked Iroh, curious as to what was on Zuko's mind.

"Oh it's… nothing Uncle, just some political nonsense from earlier today." Zuko lied and his eyes averted his uncle's gaze which gave him away.

"Zuko, I know you more than anyone and if it's one of the qualities that everyone knows about you, it is that you are a bad liar. Now come, my nephew. Care to discuss what's on your mind over some warm tea?" suggested Iroh. Zuko, unable to find a way to say no to his uncle, gladly obliged and they went to find a place where they can continue their conversation in private. Soon they found themselves sitting at a table on an open balcony, somewhere in the palace, overlooking the Royal Gardens below; the rain outside seemed to have let down a bit.

"Mmmm, nothing feels better than a warm cup of tea during a cold and rainy night!" Iroh exclaimed after sipping from his cup of tea. "Now my nephew, care to tell me what is on your mind?" He continued. Zuko calmly took a sip of tea from his cup and proceeded to talk.

"Uncle… This has been on my mind a lot recently. I can't seem to stop worrying about Azula. I know she's dangerous and that she's not the most pleasant person to be with but she's still my sister. I'm the only one she had left and yet I…" said Zuko, completely lost to his thoughts.

"Nephew…" said Iroh. But Zuko ignored him seeming as if he was lost in a trance.

"I felt like I betrayed her! Sure, I found my mother, but I lost my sister in the process of doing so. Like a void within me had been filled, but in turn created another one." Zuko continued.

"Zuko…" said Iroh, once again calling to out to his nephew.

"I can't seem to stop worrying, uncle! It's been three years and there is still no sign of her. I've sent a search party to the Forgetful Valley before, but they only came back empty handed and badly injured so I can't risk anyone else's life looking for her anymore. And these thoughts in my head, what if something bad happened to her. What if she's dea-"

"Snap out of it, Zuko! Calm down." yelled Iroh. Zuko was then forced out of his trance by his uncle's outburst.

"I… I'm sorry uncle. I just can't stop worrying about her." Zuko apologized.

"And therein lies your problem." said Iroh, prompting Zuko to have a confused look on his face.

"What do you mean?" asked Zuko. Iroh then took another sip from his tea before talking.

"What I mean is that your problem is because you cannot stop worrying. And in doing so, you additionally get worried that you are worrying. And because of that, you get mad at yourself that you are worrying that you are worrying about worrying and so on, like a constant repeating cycle." informed Iroh. Zuko's eyes then widened at the realization of what was happening in his mind.

"Then how, uncle? How do I stop these thoughts in my head?" asked Zuko. Iroh then took another sip of his tea.

"You don't try to." said Iroh, prompting Zuko to have a confused look yet again. Iroh, noticing the confusion written on Zuko's face, then continued "If you try to stop thinking, it will be like you trying to stop the flow of water with you hands, and the only thing that will accomplish is stir up the water even more. So just like when a pond of water calms down some time after it is disturbed, the same thing can be said when you leave your mind alone and just let the thoughts flow. It will quiet itself." advised Iroh.

Zuko then closed his eyes and followed his uncle's advice. After a moment of silence and not trying to stop thinking about his worries, his thoughts seemed to have cleared and he was now calm. He opened his eyes, looked to at his uncle and smiled as to acknowledge him that it worked.

"Good Zuko, Remember what I have thought you here tonight. Meditation is important for your mind if you are to lead to this nation to a brighter future." said Iroh, pouring himself another cup of tea.

"I will uncle. I don't know how to thank you enough. You have given me so much advice all these years, I wouldn't have made it this far without your guidance." said Zuko.

"I'm just making sure you do not lose your way." replied Iroh, taking another sip of his tea. "Now, as for what has become of Azula, I'm confident that she is still alive. She's strong and knows how to take care of herself. Besides, just like you've said earlier, it's been three years. Three years spent away from my lunatic brother. By now, she would have looked inward and asked herself the very same question I asked of you a long time ago. 'Who are you and –'"

"…what do you want." said Zuko, finishing the sentence for him. Iroh smiled at his nephew, glad that know that he still remembered. "I think my worries for her are gone, uncle. If her destiny would have it, perhaps I can see her blue flames again, if she ever decides to come back." He continued. The thunderstorm outside had completely passed and the stars became visible in the night sky.

"Speaking of flames, I heard an interesting rumor going around Harbor City earlier today when I was out exploring. They say there is a firebender in the city who can conjure up white fire!" exclaimed Iroh.

"White? I haven't heard of anyone with white colored fire before, what's so special about having white flames?" asked Zuko.

"Have you not paid attention to your classes when you were a child?" asked Iroh. Zuko smiled at him with a guilty look on his face and Iroh sighed and continued.

"White fire is the fire of a water dragon. Therefore, white fire burns the hottest of all the flame colors in order to burn effectively under water. Also, unlike most firebenders, someone with white flames get their energy from the stars in instead to the Sun. This young lady must have a really pure heart if she can conjure up white flames, as it symbolizes the purity of one's soul." informed Iroh.

"This firebender is a woman you say?" asked Zuko.

"Yes, apparently she was being picked on by this band of criminals called the Red Dragons." said Iroh.

"Ugh, the Red Dragons, if I could only figure out where their hideout is then I can rid the city of them for good. They've been nothing but trouble, intimidating and extorting money from the people as if they owned the city." said Zuko.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind made its way into the open balcony and for a brief moment, the flames on torches around the room turned to white. Suki entered the room, panting heavily from all the running she just did. Zuko and Iroh stood up from their seats and waited for her to catch her breath and inform them on what was happening.

"Fire Lord Zuko! There is a dragon, a dragon made of white fire had been spotted in Harbor City at the abandoned factory district!" exclaimed Suki.

* * *

 **Harbor City, Approximately One Hour Earlier**

The rain was still pouring hard outside as Rina stood in front of a window in her room. The stars were nowhere in sight for the night and that made her feel uneasy for some odd reason. As lightning flashed and thunder roared, Rina could not help but remember the woman she saw in the reflection earlier in the day.

"I wonder who she is. She does kind of resemble me… maybe she's my mother." Rina whispered to herself, trying to figure out who the woman in the reflection was. She was deep in thought until someone knocked on her door, she went ahead to see who it was and it was Airi who stood before her when she opened the door.

"Airi! I'm sorry if you're still mad at me, I really have no excuse for making you worry. " said Rina, yet again making the apologetic face she had earlier. Airi put her hand on Rina's cheek and smiled at her.

"Smile Rina, that expression doesn't suit you. True, you did make me worry but that is not why I got angry earlier." said Airi. She then separated her hand and let herself in the room. She took a seat at the side of Rina's bed and beckoned Rina to sit with her. Rina did as she was told and sat beside her.

"I apologize for yelling at you earlier. I know it wasn't your fault and you had no choice but to protect yourself. I wasn't mad at you Rina… I was mad at myself. I promised my sister I would take care of you… and yet I let you wander around this dangerous city on your own. I should have been there with you." said Airi. Rina then rested her head on Airi shoulder and smiled.

"Rina? Is there something wrong?" asked Airi.

"No, I'm just happy that I have so many people who care about me so much." said Rina. Airi then broke out a smile of her own.

"You're just like Aiko, you know that right? Always looking at things positively… and you two always manage to get yourselves into trouble." informed Airi.

"Jirou says that a lot too." Rina said and the two of them let out a chuckle. The room fell silent for a while as the two of them basked in the warm mood. A loud sound of shattering glass and breaking wood, coming from downstairs, then disturbed the silence and the two of them hurried to see what was going on down at the shop.

"What are you doing?!" yelled Ren. Rei was hiding and crying right behind him. Airi and Rina came down the stairs and into the shop to find a bunch of thugs form the Red Dragons razing the shop. In midst of the crowd stood a big muscular man with the most intimidating face and right beside him was the man who attacked Rina earlier in the day.

"That's her, brother! That's the girl who dared to mess with us!" exclaimed the smaller man. The bigger man then ordered the thugs to stop and they did as they were told.

"Allow me to introduce myself; I am Scorch, Leader of the Red Dragons. This is quite a nice shop you have here, it would be a shame if it suddenly burned down." he said.

"What do you want?!" Ren asked with anger burning in his eyes. Scorch then pointed towards Rina and smiled deviously.

"The girl, I want to teach her a lesson she will never forget and also I want to declare this shopping district under the control of the Red Dragons." demanded Scorch. Upon realizing what was happening, Rina went ahead and reluctantly approached them but Airi grabbed her hand and shook her head telling her not to go. Scorch took notice of their unwillingness to give her up.

"Well if that's how you want it… Then so be it. Burn it down!" ordered Scorch. But before they could raze the shop any more than they did, Ren went ahead and did a sweeping kick that launched an arc of flame that threw the intruders into the rainy street outside. Ren ran outside in front of the shop and took on a fighting stance, ready to defend his family at any cost. Scorch and his men got up unscathed from the attack.

"Tsk, no matter. You can't possibly take on all of us alone. Get him!" ordered Scorch. His men charged at Ren and tried to take him down, however Ren, being an experienced veteran soldier, did a series of dodges and parries that made him a hard target to take down and kept them at bay with his fire bending. However, Ren knew that he could not fend off their attacks forever and pretty soon he will be too tired to fight and will become overpowered by his many attackers.

"Airi, I have to help him!" said Rina. Airi, seeing that her husband was having trouble with the thugs outside in the rain, reluctantly let go of Rina's hand and nodded. Rina rushed outside and tried to summon her flames, but her fire would not show up for some reason unknown to her and she started to panic. One of the Red Dragons, the man who tried to take Rina earlier in the day, took notice of this and charged at her with a knife. As Rina saw the attacker approaching her, time seemed to slow down and memories flowed into her mind. They were the memories of fighting techniques that she had performed, thousands of times before, and mastered to the extent of her abilities. Rina jumped and twirled in the air, dodging the incoming attack, before landing a strike on her attacker's neck and knocking him unconscious. She then went to the aid of Ren and joined in on his attempt to fend off their aggressors. One by one, the Red Dragons dwindled in numbers as they were either immobilized or unconscious. The district had also come alive as people came out of their homes with whatever weapons they can get their hands on and came to the aid of their neighbor in distress. Scorch, who had just been standing and observing the whole time, watched as his men were defeated and he became enraged.

"Weaklings! All of you!" Scorch yelled and he launched a series of fire attacks towards the crowd and making them scatter. He then launched a huge fireball towards Ren. Ren, unaware of the incoming attack a midst all the chaos, got hit and was knocked back into a wall and fell unconscious.

"Dad!" cried Rei. He broke off of Airi's grasp ran towards his father.

"Rei, come back here!" called out Airi as she saw her son go into the rainy street. Scorch took notice of the little boy who is going towards his unconscious father and grabbed him. Rei tried to get away but the man was simply too strong for him.

"Mom! Rina! Help me!" cried Rei. Scorch then whistled and a komodo rhino came out of hiding in an alley nearby. Scorch hopped on its back along with Rei who was crying and terrified.

"Rei!" yelled Rina and Airi as they saw Scorch take the little boy. "Let him go, you coward!" Rina continued. Scorch let out a devious grin as he looked at Rina.

"You want him? Come get him!" exclaimed Scorch. He then rode off into the stormy night taking Rei along with him. Airi fell on her knees, crying and helpless as she saw her son being taken away.

"Brother! Wait for me!" yelled the man, who attacked Rina with a knife, after having regained his consciousness. Scorch simply ignored him and soon he was out of sight. Rina saw what has become of Airi and felt anger coursing through her veins. Rina went to the man who was sitting on the ground and grabbed the man by his sleeve.

"Tell me where they went!" demanded Rina. The man simply laughed and let out an evil grin.

"I ain't telling you anything." said the man. Rina's eye color then turned to gold and she smiled maliciously as she picked up the knife on the ground nearby. She then held the knife up by the man's neck as if she got possessed by something.

"You will tell me where they went or I will end you." Rina calmly said to him in a slightly seductive but threatening way.

"The… the old abandoned weapons factory district, in the middle of the city." said the man. His eyes filled with terror and he was shuddering as if he just saw a ghost. Immediately, after Rina got her answer, her eyes turned back to a silver color. She dropped the knife and let go of the man who was now too terrified to even move. Rina could not believe what she had just done that she even scared herself a little bit. She shook her head and focused on what was happening, as she thought that it was not the time to be thinking about it.

"Rina! Where are you going?!" said Airi, noticing that Rina started to run into the city. Rina stopped and looked at Airi.

"I'm sorry Airi, all of this happened because of me. I'm going after Rei, so please look after Ren." said Rina. She then continued to run into the city.

"Rina! Come back! It's too dangerous!" called out Airi but Rina kept on running until she was out of sight.

* * *

Rina ran as fast as she could in the rain that seems to have subsided. She went through hidden alleyways, jumped off roof tops and ledges, and vaulted over obstacles in her way throughout the city. She relied solely on the map that seemed to be ingrained on her mind. All these memories of skills that she had lost were all coming back to her as she ran. Her body remembered how to move quickly with grace and speed, and she remembered how to deal with any obstacles in her path. However, she did not question the memories at all for she did not have the luxury of time to be doing so. She did not care how tired she was and how her legs felt like burning, all she could think about was Rei and where to find him.

After more than half an hour of traversing through the city, Rina finally reached the abandoned factories that were used to make weaponry during the war. It was empty and eerily quiet as she explored the area, looking for a clue as to where Scorch had taken Rei. Soon enough, she found the footprints of a komodo rhino on the muddy ground and followed it which led her to a wide open area in between the factories where saw Rei tied up to a broken lamp post.

"Rei!" Rina exclaimed as she ran towards the little boy.

"Rina, watch out!" warned Rei. Before Rina could get close to Rei, she sensed something coming fast at her from behind. She quickly turned around and saw a fireball coming at her which she easily dodged.

"So you're finally here, I was wondering when you'd show up." Scorch said as he came out of hiding from the shadows.

"You! Let him go! What do you want from me?!" yelled Rina.

"Why?" said Scorch and then laughed. "Why, I'm simply doing this because you messed with the Red Dragons. And now, you are getting your punishment for crossing us. Or to put it simply… what was that word again? Oh right, Revenge." he continued.

"So you ruined our home, and kidnapped an innocent child just because I tried to defend myself? What is wrong with you? You heartless bastard!" said Rina. Scorch then gave her a malicious grin, taking Rina's insult as a compliment.

"There is another reason, actually. You see I have beaten many firebenders in duels many times before, and when I heard that you were a firebender, I just had the urge to teach you a lesson. When my men told me about that white fire of yours, I just had to see it for myself. And seeing how you fought my men so well just made me want to extinguish your fire even more. So now! I challenge you to an Agni Kai." declared Scorch.

"But this is not how you conduct an Ag-" But before Rina could finish her sentence, Scorch launched yet another fireball at her, which she evaded, narrowly missing her.

"I don't care about that traditional nonsense, I just want to fight. Come on, show me those white flames!" yelled Scorch, getting more fired up by the thrill of a fight. Rina tried to conjure up her fire again but still to no avail, all Rina could do was evade his attacks. She tried to get close but her opponent would just kick a series of flame arcs from to keep her at bay and at the times that she did get close and landed some strikes, the overwhelming size and strength of her opponent rendered her attacks useless. The fight went on for some time with Rina unable to do anything but evade, dodge, and parry. Finally, Scorch decided that he has done enough waiting.

"This is getting ridiculous! If you won't show it to me then I'll force it out of you!" Scorch yelled and he launched a fireball towards the Rei. Time seemed to slow down as Rina ran as fast as she could to get in between Rei and the fire ball. Without hesitation, she took the blast to her body. She was knocked back and she fell rolling on the ground. Her body became limp from the damage she had just sustained. She tried to get up but her body would not listen to her. The exhaustion from all the fighting and running she had done earlier caught up to her.

"Rina! Rina get up, please get up!" cried Rei. Dazed and disoriented, Rina saw Rei's crying face and she let out tears of her own. She was powerless to do anything for him as she felt her strength slowly leaving her.

"I'm sorry… Rei." whispered Rina, not having enough strength to even talk properly. She then shifted her gaze towards the sky. The storm had passed and the clouds had now moved over, revealing a night sky full of stars.

" _Aiko… Jirou…"_ she thought to herself. Tears streamed down her face as her vision slowly faded into darkness.

* * *

 **A/N:** Chapter Theme: The Piano Guys – Kung Fu Piano/Cello Ascends

* * *

 _Darkness_ …

Rina felt her body floating in place as if she was submerged under water. She looked around her and there was nothing; everything was a complete void. However, she could not help but feel that she had been in this place before. Suddenly, there was a brilliant _light_ that _came closer and closer_ to her. What she saw when the light was right in front of her perplexed her mind. It was a huge white dragon that gave out a luminous glow that surrounded its whole body. It was a spirit.

" _We made a pact… It is not yet your time. Go back…my vessel._ " said a female disembodied voice. The spirit then exhaled a soothing white mist from its mouth that enveloped Rina's body.

The dragon spirit slowly faded away and Rina felt her body being dragged to fly at such a high speed that she never thought was even possible. She saw herself flying past a countless number of stars and into a spherical object that grew larger as she got closer. In that sphere, she saw oceans and landmasses and at that point realized she was back in the world she was living in.

* * *

Rina opened her eyes and once again saw the countless stars in the night sky. She felt her vitality coming back to her and something even more. Energy surged throughout her body and her wounds seems to have healed themselves completely. She stood up and faced her opponent once again, this time she was sure to accomplish what she came here to do.

"You're still alive? Good, it would be a shame if this fight ended so soon." said Scorch.

"You use an innocent child to lure me here, just so you could get your revenge!?" exclaimed Rina, her eyes seething with rage. She clenched her fists and produced white flames that surrounded her and sparks of electricity filling the air around her; her powerful aura surged through the air, pushing it back and producing a strong gale. Scorch smiled diabolically in excitement at the sight of her flames.

"Do you know how many people you've hurt just because of your selfishness!?" Rina yelled in anger. She remembered the despaired face of Airi as she saw the shop being ravaged and Rei being taken away. "You've exploited the innocent people of this city for what, money and power? What about all of the people you've hurt? Do you know what it feels like to see the pained faces of the ones you love? And the families whose livelihood you have destroyed what are they supposed to do?" she added.

"Hah! You're nothing but a naïve girl. Don't lecture me now on what's right and wrong. There are only sheep and wolves in this world; I simply chose to become the latter. Now come, let us begin our duel for real! I can't wait to extinguish your flames and burn that pretty face of yours." barked Scorch.

"The essence of an Agni Kai is to fight for one's honor. A coward such as you, who use and hurt innocent people just so you can get your way, is unworthy of such respect. I will incinerate you and spread your ashes into the wind!" Rina declared as the irises of her eyes glowed gold like a neon light and silver-like tears flowed down her face. Jets of flame that emanated from her feet lifted her off of ground as she waved her arms in a circular motion in front of her, causing her flames to coil around her and enveloping her out of sight. The flames soared through the air and took form into what looked like a dragon made of white fire surrounded by sparks of electricity. The colossal serpent-like entity of flame became visible throughout the whole city. The people who were near the abandoned factory district fled as alarm bells rang in area, signifying that there was danger nearby. Airi was tending to Ren who has regained his consciousness, they saw the dragon made of white fire in the distance and could only guess one person who could be capable of such a thing. The dragon then charged toward Scorch with great speed.

"What in the world?! " Scorch said as he stood petrified in place when he saw the frightening entity of flame charging towards him. Within mere seconds of coming in contact with the dragon, the white flames engulfed him, disintegrating his body into ashes and they were spread all over by the strong gusts wind. The dragon then faded away as the fire extinguished, revealing Rina standing some distance behind where Scorch had been. Her golden eyes reverted back to their silver color and she turned around to look at Rei.

"Rina! Over here!" Rei exclaimed, glad to see that Rina was unharmed. Rina immediately went to the little boy and freed him from his bindings. She then fell on her knees and hugged him tightly as and exhaled a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that Rei… I'm really sorry… but you're okay now." said Rina as she broke their embrace. Rei just looked at her with the brightest smile as his eyes sparkled with admiration.

"Rina that was so cool! You flew up into the air and then a dragon showed up! And then you beat the bad guy!" exclaimed Rei in excitement. Rina could not help but smile at the little boy's liveliness. Rina stood up and held onto Rei's hand.

"Let's go home shall we? I'm pretty sure your parents are worried." suggested Rina. Rei nodded and they went on to walk their way home.

* * *

Airi and Ren stood in front of their home worried about what had happened with Rei and Rina. It had been more than an hour since the dragon had appeared and they were getting restless. Suddenly their one of their neighbors called out to them.

"Airi! Ren! Look!" Their neighbor exclaimed as he pointed out to the street over yonder. Airi and Ren's faces lit up with relief and they smiled as they saw the Rina and Rei coming towards them. Rei dashed towards his mother and they both shared an embrace of relief. She broke of her embrace with her son and Rei went towards his father who then lifted him up and held him with his arms. Airi and Ren then looked to Rina as she approached right behind after Rei. Her clothes were torn and singed as if she had just been through a brutal fire bending battle.

"Rina! Are you alright?" asked Airi, with a worried look on her face after noticing her ruined clothes.

"I'm okay" replied Rina. Airi then hugged her which took Rina by surprise.

"I'm glad you're both okay… and thank you for saving Rei." said Airi as they broke their embrace. Rina felt relieved but she still did not feel right. She looked towards the interior of the flower shop and could not help but feel guilty as she saw the ruined flowers and broken shelves and pots that were on the floor.

"It's okay Rina; it's not your fault. We can rebuild it. I may not look like it but, I'm quite the handy man" said Ren with a confident smile on his face. "Besides, if there is anyone to blame. It's those thugs over there." added Ren as he pointed to the Red Dragons being loaded into a prison carriage by the city guards.

"Looks like you just got rid of some of the city's scum." said Ren. He then put down Rei looked towards Rina with a serious look on his face. "What happened over there Rina? What became of Scorch? And the way you fought earlier, I'm pretty sure Jirou didn't teach you those moves… also that white fire dragon flying over the city earlier. I have no doubt in my mind that it was you who was behind it." Ren asked in a serious tone. Rina shuddered when she heard the questions. She calmly breathed in and out, and put her hands on her chest to in an attempt calm her fast beating heart down. She had remembered about the memories that came back to her and it scared her.

"Scorch… he's… gone. And those things I did… The memories just came back and my body just moved to what they can remember. I even scare myself just thinking about it." said Rina.

There was still the mystery about Rina's past. Rina then wondered; just who was she was in the past, and just what did she do to be able to fight so well?


End file.
